Gina & Ryan are an awesome couple! They flew in from Chicago to photograph their GTKY session. My good friend Tony from Valenzano let us photograph at their vineyard in Shamong. They had a great day and even did some vineyard golfing in the rain! I can’t wait to see them again at their wedding this fall at The Hotel Dupont in Wilmington Delaware. Not to forget they have an amazing wedding planner, Katie from DFW Planning!
About Valenzano Winery
Valenzano Winery is a true family story. Tony Valenzano Sr. and his sons planted their first vines on the family property in Shamong in the early 1990s, more or less as a backyard project, and opened the winery to the public in 1996. It has since grown into one of New Jersey’s largest wine producers while staying family owned and operated. Their Shamong Red built a loyal following, and the annual WineFest draws thousands of people to these fields every September. Row after row of vines in fall color makes the vineyard an easy place to photograph an engagement session, and the family could not be more welcoming about it.
Vineyard Golf in the Rain
A get to know you session, GTKY for short, is how we break the ice before the wedding day. It is a relaxed shoot built around something the couple actually likes doing, so by the time the wedding arrives nobody is camera shy. Gina and Ryan flew in from Chicago for theirs, and the rain showed up too. Instead of hiding from it, they grabbed golf clubs and hit a few drives down the vine rows. Those frames ended up being my favorites of the day. Fall color in the vineyard plus two people laughing in the rain is a hard combination to beat.
If you are planning your own fall session at the winery, late October is the sweet spot. The harvest is mostly in, the WineFest crowds are gone, and the leaves on the vines turn a deep gold that photographs beautifully in the last hour before sunset. Cloudy skies, like Gina and Ryan got, are honestly even better. The light goes soft, the colors get richer, and nobody is squinting. Bring boots though, because the rows get muddy after rain.
Gina and Ryan’s wedding at the Hotel DuPont is going to be a great one, and you will see it here soon. In the meantime, take a look at another celebration in these same vines, Yvonne and Bryan’s Valenzano Winery wedding. And if you are still exploring venues around Philadelphia and South Jersey, our guide to the best Philadelphia wedding venues is a good place to start.